256. Art and Nature.

An overview of nature as a subject of artistic representation, in ancient

Mediterranean and Mesopotamian cultures, and in the West from the

Renaissance to the present. This course explores the ways in which

depictions of nature have both reflected and shaped constructs of

the natural world, by reference to religions, philosophies and moral

values. Works to be examined include obvious examples of nature

in art, such as landscape painting, and less obvious ones, such as villas

and portraits, as well as earthworks and other environmental art

created by contemporary artists. This course requires no previous

experience of art history. Also offered through Outdoor Studies.